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Industrial environments

Temperature, moisture and contaminants

Home and office electronics operate in climate-controlled rooms, but industrial devices are often subject to temperature extremes. Many industrial devices are installed outdoors in unventilated sealed enclosures, which freeze in winter and heat to extremely high temperatures in summer. Industrial devices and their power supplies are expected to perform over a wide temperature range. Typically they are rated so you can select one appropriate to your environment. Temperature tolerances from -25 to +60° C are common and you can even find devices rated for extremes to -40 to +75° C. Because industrial components are sealed against contaminants and also because they are often installed inside enclosures, they rely on air convection rather than fans for cooling.

Moisture is the enemy of electronic components, and industrial devices are often subject to water in all its forms from high humidity and condensation to drips and splashes. Industrial devices are also often subject to dirt, dust, oil, salt spray, and chemicals when they’re installed outdoors or indoors in an environment such as a factory floor.

Protective enclosures

For these reasons, industrial components are usually housed in hardened metal cases that are sealed against contaminants including particulates such as airborne dust, as well as moisture, and sometimes chemicals. Conformal coating is a special film or coating applied to electronic circuitry to provide additional protection from contaminants such as chemicals, dust, and moisture.

Many Black Box industrial network components can be ordered with conformal coating. For availability, please contact one of our technical specialists.